2018
Best Restaurant for
Vegetarians/Vegans
FEATURED STORY FROM THE Best of BG – 2014 ISSUE
Kabob It:
Opening Community Doors to the Taste of Mediterranean Food
A good number of students attend Bowling Green State University because they follow in the footsteps and the positive experiences of a parent or parents who were BGSU students themselves.
A reverse twist and that is the story of successful BG business owner Nabil Bahroudi. Bahroudi, and his family, opened the restaurant Kabob It recently and it was through the influence of his own children, who are University students, that he came to bring the family business to BG
The family owned business was already considering expanding when they walked past the empty space recently vacated by Dave’s Cosmic Subs. Bahroudi’s children were the ones who suggested the space due to its busy location in the middle of a college town.
When you walk through the door you are met with exotic music, cultural décor, and the smell of authentic Lebanese cuisine. The food is delicious, the staff friendly, and the atmosphere unique among a town that caters to college students.
The restaurant features Mediterranean cuisine and includes gyros, kabobs, shawarma and falafel.
“Its focusing on Lebanese food,” says son Zach Baroudi. “We also have some Greek food.”
Kabob It is making its own niche In a town consisting mostly of fast food and pizza places, offering a healthier, unique option. Most of their food is cooked in olive oil, which is the one of the healthiest cooking oils to use.
Being the new kid in town isn’t always easy, but Bahroudi isn’t concerned. “It’s trending because it’s a healthy choice”. He expects that in the future, Lebanese food will rise to the same popularity in the U.S. as Chinese food has “It’s trending because it’s a healthy choice.”
And the Baroudis adapted the Bowling Green Kabob It to the needs of a college town. The Toledo location does not deliver, but the family realized delivery would be necessary in Bowling Green.
“In a college town, that is where most of the business comes from, said Samir Bahroudi, Zach’s brother, shift manager and University sophomore. Delivery allows students on campus and people who do not have cars to try Kabob It, he said.